


Oh.

by rhoen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon Era, Drinking, Idiots in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 10:51:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12011190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhoen/pseuds/rhoen
Summary: Raidou has the kind of courage that allows him to face enemy nin head-on without flinching, but doesn't give him the strength to go and tell the guy he likes how he feels.





	Oh.

**Author's Note:**

> It seemed like a good idea at the time. I apologise in advance to anyone reading this. I wrote it in a stupid, inspiration-fuelled rush, and awkward brilliant-shinobi-but-hopeless-at-most-other-things-that-involve-human-emotions Raidou got involved (I love him, he's my favourite, don't touch me I will fight you on this).
> 
> [This blog](http://ando-meio-desligado.tumblr.com) (NSFW) on tumblr is 100% responsible for making me ship this. Their art is... very persuasive...

"Get off!"

Genma chuckled, allowing himself to be pushed away, and took a sip of his drink, eyes never leaving Raidou's somewhat flushed face.

"Well?" he prompted. "Are you going to go over and say something, or do I have to do it for you?"

"Gen," Raidou half pleaded, half warned.

"We're on the same team, it's hardly a big deal."

"That's precisely why it is a big deal!" Raidou argued, gaze darting across the room for a second and then hastily back again when he realised they were being watched by the man they were currently talking about.

"We're all professionals here," Genma hummed, his fingers sliding in a very suggestive way down the front of Raidou's shirt. Raidou wished he would stop. He was giving everyone the wrong idea. "He won't mind. I'm sure he's noticed by now that you're into guys. I bet he'd be flattered if you came onto him."

Raidou snatched Genma's hand away, holding it firmly in his grasp as he glowered at his friend. "Stop doing that. If anything, he will think we're together."

Genma gave a burst of laughter. "You think?" His expression sobered up a little, his tone becoming mock serious. "Well, we should correct that misconception, shouldn't we?" He leant in, sake-sweetened breath ghosting over Raidou's cheek and body so close Raidou could feel the heat radiating from it. It was the kind of behaviour more likely to confirm rather than dispell rumour as Genma murmured in his ear. "I'm going on the pull, darling. Don't wait up for me."

Raidou felt himself flushing even harder, and a flicker of panic gripped him as Genma pulled away.

"Wait, Gen, don't—"

Genma simply smirked in response, downing the rest of his sake and sliding the empty onto the bar.

"Go talk to him," he said firmly, and with that turned away, moving down the bar to try and find someone who might be willing to buy him his next drink. Raidou watched him go, mouth still hanging open.

After a moment he turned his attention back to his half finished drink, trying to talk himself into doing what he hadn't managed for several weeks now. He was regretting admitting his crush to Genma, because, as good a friend as Genma was, he had a tendency to think that bad ideas were very good ones.

A glance across the bar confirmed that Iwashi was still sharing a drink with his old genin teammates, and Raidou hastily turned back to his drink, slowly turning the glass, when he realised one of them was looking over at him. It was a bad idea, he reminded himself. A very bad idea. Iwashi was a great teammate. He didn't want to cause any awkwardness between them. It was better to keep quiet, let the whole thing blow over...

Another glance, this time in Genma's direction, confirmed that his other teammate was making progress, if laughter and casual touches to the waist were any indication. He had no idea how Genma managed it. That was another very good reason in Raidou's book not to approach Iwashi: he had no idea what would follow his confession. In the highly unlikely event of it going well and his feelings being reciprocated, Raidou wasn't sure he'd know what to do with any sort of intimate relationship. His life as a shinobi came first, so he'd never really been in one.

He knew he'd want one with Iwashi, though. A casual fuck would be nice, sure, but it wouldn't be worth the fallout. Besides, Raidou wasn't angling for that. If he wanted that sort of fleeting satisfaction, Raidou could take a leaf out of Genma's book, relax his body language and see if any one of the number of civilians in the bar was interested in a casual hookup.

Raidou was so lost in thought, wondering at the mechanics of relationships and if they were worth it – and if one with Iwashi would be worth it – that he didn't register the presence beside him until the other man spoke.

"Hey."

Only just managing not to startle at the sound of his voice, Raidou stared at Iwashi, desperately hoping his thoughts weren't written across his face. "Iwashi!"

"May I join you for a minute?"

Taken aback by the question, Raidou could only gesture at the seat Genma had vacated.

"Thanks," Iwashi said softly, sliding into it. It was only then that Raidou noticed he was empty-handed, and, swallowing thickly as his pulse kicked up a notch, he forced himself to find his voice.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Please," Iwashi said gratefully, gaze settling on Raidou's. It left him at the mercy of too many thoughts and feeling to contend with, so, with the excuse of attracting the bartender's attention, Raidou turned away. He hoped the flush he felt creeping over his skin wasn't too obvious.

It was only once the drink had been ordered that Iwashi broke the silence, fingers wrapping round the glass and drawing Raidou's focus as they wiped away condensation.

"Genma left you on your own?"

There was something in the tightness of Iwashi's voice, as if he was trying to play it casual but was falling short, that caught Raidou's attention. When he looked up, he saw that Iwashi's attention was on the glass too, but a moment later the chuunin's gaze flickered upwards, towards Raidou, and caught his gaze. Raidou couldn't look away.

"Yes, he, uh..."

Raidou forgot what he was supposed to be saying, the only thing coming to mind being Genma's insistence that Raidou go and talk to Iwashi, say something to him. He wondered if he could do it now, with that dark, warm gaze fixed on him, making him forget how to function, how to draw air into his lungs and steady his racing heart. Iwashi had asked him something. He was supposed to respond. The words that settled on the tip of his tongue weren't the right ones.

"We..." he managed to pluck from his mind, before he lost the thread again.

"Are you together?"

"No!" Raidou said, a little too quickly. He flushed more from the interest he had to have imagined in Iwashi's question than the awkwardness of people assuming he and Genma were an item. "No, we're not. We're close, but not like that."

"I wondered," Iwashi conceded, his attention shifting for a moment in Genma's direction. Raidou didn't bother looking.

"Do you...?" Raidou started, before thinking better of the question. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear Iwashi's answer.

Iwashi turned back towards him, eyebrow quirked in question. "Do I what?"

"Nevermind," Raidou insisted, thinking it wiser to turn his attention back to his drink. He knocked the burning liquid, hoping it didn't compel him to do or say anything which he might come to regret. He quite clearly didn't need help coming up with stupid things to say.

The pair lapsed into silence, Raidou trying to ignore the itch to blurt out a confession while Iwashi played with the moisture forming on the outside of his glass. The tortuous, awkward seconds stretched out, grating on Raidou's restraint, until, mercifully, Iwashi broke the silence.

"I like guys."

The admission caught Raidou off-guard, and he stared at Iwashi, the blush darkening his teammate's cheeks setting him off too for some reason.

"I like guys too," he found himself babbling. "Not all guys, just some guys that I like, which is... uh..."

He trailed off, aware of the face he was making a fool of himself. Although, Iwashi didn't seem to care. He wasn't laughing, or looking even remotely amused. Heart hammering in his chest, Raidou gathered the words he'd both longed and feared to say out loud since the realisation dawned on him.

"I like you," he managed, the words fragile in the space between them. If he got any redder, Raidou was sure he'd burst into flames. "Just you."

"Oh," was all he got.

Realising what a fool he'd made of himself, Raidou fixed his gaze on a spot on the bar, and then proceeded stared past it, hoping for a swift, painless death. His mind, as well as his body, was screaming at him for his idiocy, and he wondered if it would be worth finding Genma and dragging him outside before beating him half to death for giving such stupid advice. If he hadn't spent the last half hour trying to talk Raidou into it, Raidou was sure he wouldn't have been stupid enough to actually _say_ something to Iwashi.

"Well I, uh," he heard Iwashi say, the other man pausing to clear his throat. Expecting rejection, Iwashi's next words took a moment to register. "I like you too. So there's that."

Raidou frowned, trying to parse what he'd just heard. He turned to Iwashi, still confused. "You...? Oh."

Eyes widening as realisation dawned on him, Raidou could only stare at Iwashi, unable to look away or work out what an appropriate response would be. He knew there was something he ought to do, or say, but it remained outwith his grasp. He tried to steady his racing heart and will away the flush on his cheeks, which proved almost impossible. It was a losing battle. His mind refused to slow down or form cohesive thought, beyond the growing longing to kiss Iwashi. If he were in the field, he'd be dead by now.

The moments ticked by, giving way to awkward silence as they both watched each other, until Raidou couldn't take it any longer.

"Want to get out of here?"

He knew what he sounded like. He didn't care. He cared even less when Iwashi pushed his glass away, nodding.

"Yeah."

They stood together, Raidou having to relearn the position of his limbs and force them to steady as excitement threatened to make them tremble. His body, at least, was quicker on the uptake than his mind, which was still several seconds behind and trying to process what was happening. It wasn't particularly successful, and was still struggling to catch up when they pushed the door open and stepped out onto the street.

The air was close; humid. Raidou barely noticed.

"Wait!" he begged, some degree of reason returning as he reached out and tugged at Iwashi's hand. Startled, Iwashi turned to him.

"What? What is it?"

He took a moment to appreciate the uncertainty he saw reflected in Iwashi's expression, the presence of it making it easier to speak.

"This isn't a one-time thing, is it? We're not going to just—"

His words were cut short by Iwashi reaching up and very firmly tugging at him, pulling him down and meeting him halfway. Raidou's eyes widened in surprise as Iwashi's lips slid against his, and then he forgot all reason and resistance as the fact that they were kissing registered. With a relieved groan, his arms came up to encircle Iwashi, eyes falling shut as he returned the kiss, exploring the feeling of Iwashi's lips against his, the softness and warmth, the lingering taste of cider and sweetness. He surrendered to it, already feeling himself falling in love with the simple act, and the way Iwashi's body stretched as he reached up to kiss Raidou and hook his arms around him in return.

He didn't care when he heard the door to the pub swing open, and someone step out onto the street. Nothing mattered beyond Iwashi, kissing him and feeling him in his arms.

Nothing, that was, until he heard an all too familiar giggle, and the newcomer spoke.

"Fucking finally!"

The best Raidou could manage was to draw one hand away and give the finger in the direction of the voice. He was going to kill Genma.

Later, though. Much, much late...


End file.
